Sunset and Sunrise
by Grace Falcon
Summary: -MAJOR BREAKING DAWN SPOILERS-The journey of the Cullens continues. What happens to Jake, Renesmee, the Volturi and the other covens? Rated T for vampire actions like hunting, etc.
1. Prologue

_**A/N: This chapter is written a couple of months after Breaking Dawn finishes off, but the rest of the chapters are around 60 years later.**_

_I just wanted to clear this up for those who have been confused!_

_Thanks, _

_Grace Falcon._

**Prologue (Bella's P.O.V)**

The dull ache in my throat was always easy to ignore, considering my strange mind and super-self-control. I stared into Edward's molten eyes and he smiled at me. We were at our cottage – there was nobody else except for Jacob, who was probably lying awake in his room and Renesmee, who had just fallen asleep. Edward and I were cuddled up on the lounge, my head resting against his chest. I could smell Jacob from here and I could also hear Renesmee's rapid heartbeat gradually become slower as her consciousness slipped away. Jacob had been staying with us every night, but I knew that it was only for Renesmee. I was glad that my sun could be happy, however I still did not like the fact that it had to be _my daughter. _

I could hear the whisper of the gentle wind cascading over the house gently and I admired the sheer beauty of the dark sky that cloaked the world. My eyesight could clearly depict each wondrous star that shone brilliantly from so far away . . . my eyes wandered across the sky and rested on the moon. I could see every crater and its luminous glow that radiated from the sun's light. Eventually my thoughts turned back to another topic that I had been pondering about for some time now, yet Edward's voice cut through the stillness.

"What are you thinking?" he asked. I looked up at him, yet said nothing. Instead, I shut my eyes and concentrated on removing my shield so that he could read my thoughts.

_I recollected every memory of Jacob since I became a vampire. Jacob when I first saw him . . . Jacob hunting with Renesmee . . . Jacob when the Volturi arrived . . . and Jacob now. I focused on his face and how it had changed since my first memory of him . . ._

Edward's eyes flashed to mine in realization and I let go of my hold on my shield. I knew he couldn't read my thoughts anymore.

"It will be too late for . . ." my voice trailed off and I knew that he understood.

"I know . . . but it's only 3 and a half years," he reminded me.

"4 years total," I replied. "She may appear to be 16, but wouldn't it take a real 16 years to grow to someone in such a way?"

"Not for her. You know she's different."

"Yes, of course I do, but by then he would be somewhere around 28 . . ."

It couldn't work out. It wouldn't – I was sure of it.

Jacob appeared to be 25 at the moment. I desperately searched through my human memories to that time when Jacob and I were on the beach. It was so dark that I could only occasionally see his face, and even then it was for brief periods. But his words, the words that arose my temper tantrum, still faintly rang through my head.

"When we get enough control to quit . . . we age again . . . it's not easy . . ."

By the time Renesmee became 16 years old and ceased to grow (which Carlisle predicted to be in 3 and a half years), Jacob would be too old for her to love him in the way Edward loved me. My memories of him 4 months ago compared to now showed that he had begun to grow older again – I could tell and so could Edward. Obviously, a human would not be able to tell, but I could see every single line on his skin no matter how faint. He had changed and I knew it.


	2. Introduction

_A/N: The story from here onwards now occurs approximately 60 years after the events of Breaking Dawn._

Thanks,

Grace Falcon.

**Introduction (Lester's P.O.V)**

I wandered alone, leaving the path far behind me. I was not sure where I was going and I mildly considered how I would find my way home, but for now, I did not care. Who was I, Lester Jones – the invisible person - to be noticed if I did not return? The sky was cloaked with smooth clouds that appeared to be grey as the light grew dimmer. I stopped and simply stared unseeingly. I was vaguely aware that there was no wind today – not even a slight breeze. When I felt an unnatural breeze pass gently over me, I turned around and stared. It was a girl with long, curly, bronze hair that rested gently over her shoulders, huge, chocolate-brown eyes and the most exquisite face I had ever seen. She simply stood there and I waited for her to break the tense atmosphere between us. "Um . . . hi?" I said tentatively, guessing that she would not speak. "I'm Lester."

"Hello," she spoke softly, still staring at me with those adorable, brown eyes. There was a long pause. A cool wind passed between us and I began to shiver, yet neither of us moved anywhere. "Excuse me," she almost whispered. With that, she turned and ran off gracefully into the trees. I stared after her, even when she was completely out of sight. Another wave of icy wind passed over me and I abruptly turned to go home.


	3. Jake

**Jake (Bella's P.O.V)**

I glided softly into the room with Renesmee at my side and the rest of the Cullens followed. Jake was rasping and coughing, his tired eyes swivelled around to look at us. His chest heaved as he struggled for every breath. I could hear his aged heart beating heavily, attempting futilely to keep Jake – my beloved sun – alive. But I could hear everything so clearly that I knew he did not have long. Renesmee had never loved him in the way he desired – by the time she was frozen at 16 he was almost 30. She had loved him as an 'uncle,' like any niece would. Jacob's forehead was layered with a thin film of sweat – I could see each individual bead. His white hair grew in tufts on his scalp and around his face . . . I could still remember his shiny, black hair. I could see the large wrinkles that covered his face and his gnarled hands were weak and frail. I felt as though I could crush them with the slightest touch.

"Bella," he said, struggling to speak. He was wheezing heavily.

"Jake, don't speak – you'll strain your voice," I said, glad that my voice could hide the anguish and fear that I felt.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you leeches enough credit," he said and a slow smile spread across his face, even with his exhaustion. A great happiness welled up inside me.

"Don't go, Jake," I begged.

"Bells, I've had my time," he replied, his voice getting weaker.

"Do you want to tell Renesmee?"

Edward's quiet voice startled me – he had been so silent. I turned around and realised that the whole family had filled the room.

"What?" Renesmee asked, startled.

"Do you know the term . . . _imprinting_?" I asked Renesmee. Jacob had let out an exhausted sigh and I did not want him to hurt his vocal box. He shut his eyes slowly, listening. I could still hear his heart.

I took a deep breath, but then stopped. "Edward," I said, "why don't you tell her? I mean, you can hear thoughts so you know what it feels like."

Edward began to speak.

"Well, imprinting is very complicated. When you imprint on someone, it's like all the bonds that tied you to everything in your life are . . . cut away. Just like that. Instead, your entire being is focused on the centre of the universe – the person you imprint on. You are completely tied to that person – your whole life revolves around them. It's . . . difficult to explain. But you now _live _and _breathe _for that person. Well, darling Renesmee, Jacob imprinted on _you_."

Renesmee's mouth dropped open. I was so mesmerized in the story and her reaction that I was oblivious to anything else.

"Yes, he imprinted on you. He only ever wanted you to be happy. Of course, if he had remained younger for longer, you may have fallen in love with him. But we knew that he would die someday and we didn't want to cause you pain – we believe that, with the way you loved him, it was the best for both of you."

Renesmee smiled now, looking over to Jacob's peaceful face. Suddenly, her smile disappeared. I turned around, listening for Jacob's heartbeat. I could hear one faint _thump and I let out a huge breath, only just realising that I had been holding my breath. I heard a faint gust of air escape his lips and then . . . nothing. Silence. Absolutely nothing._

"He's gone," I whispered shakily.

Edward was suddenly at my side, rubbing his arm across my back, supporting my waist with his other arm. I hunched my shoulders and let out a huge sob and began to cry. Well, I tried to. My throat choked up and my eyes readied themselves for tears that would not come. I cried dry, tearless sobs. Renesmee cried with me, but with real tears. He had been our best companions. The rest of the Cullens did not weep over the lost shape-shifter, but all except Rosalie and Emmett stayed to look after us. Rosalie could not really care and Emmett, being the fun, joking kind didn't know what to do.

Jacob had been the one to stitch me up when I was left wounded by Edward and I could never thank him enough for that. He had left a mark on my heart and I would always remember him – no matter what. I could never thank him more for remaining my personal sun and being there when I needed him most. I still remembered promising myself that I never would shed another tear for Jacob Black. Well, technically, I wasn't shedding tears, but I was still crying over him. Carlisle went over and probed a bit in a few places, before confirming his death. He then left to call the members of the La Push gang.

Jake had never reunited with Sam and his pack. Some were still alive – the youngest like Leah, Seth and Quil, yet they were all in their late 70s to early 80s. The new members of the gang were the children of Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, Paul and Rachel, Quil and Claire and Seth and a girl he imprinted on named Melissa (Mel). Leah had never imprinted. There were so many young or soon-to-be 'shape-shifters,' as I now had to refer to them as. Yet I still thought of them as werewolves. They were all filled with sorrow and many howls ripped through the still afternoon sky. The wind was icy cold, although it didn't bother the already cold vampires or the too-warm-to-be-cold shape-shifters. It just added to the already woeful atmosphere.

"Goodbye, Jake," I whispered one last time. The light in the sky was fading, ready to be engulfed by darkness. The end of another insignificant day – the day my personal sun disappeared into the horizon.

I wished that Billy could have seen his son one last time and I wished that Jacob would be happy, wherever he was right now. Just like the time Jacob and I said farewell for what we thought would be the last time we would see each other, I could only lie on the couch while Edward cradled me in his arms. Little was said that night. He just held me tight and let me deal with everything. It felt better that way. Renesmee sat with us too and I held her hand limply. We had both lost our best friends. But I was grateful that I had Edward, who would _always _be with me for the rest of existence. I just hoped that Renesmee would find someone else just like him.


	4. The Hunt

**The Hunt (Renesmee's P.O.V)**

My mum and dad were watching me when I finally arose from my slumber. Their golden eyes were filled with adoration and I could not help beaming up at them.

"Good morning," mum chirped. I couldn't help but giggle at the fact that I was 16 with an 18-year-old mother. My dad laughed at my thoughts.

"What?" my mum asked, perplexed.

Dad looked at me for a second and then shook his head, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

"Tell me later, then!" mum responded, exasperated.

"Mum, it's really not important."

"Fine, well, we're going to go hunting, Renesmee, before we go to school."

"Okay!" I responded, jumping up immediately to distract her from our previous topic.

As they gathered the rest of the family, I waited outside. I knew that I was going to need to hunt. Even though I had blood in my body, although it was very little, I still craved human blood as the main factor of my diet. Obviously my family objected and, at a very small age, I had agreed that it was better to hunt animals. I still didn't know how good my self-control was and I was not sure if I could completely resist human blood. I didn't think it smelled as potent to me as it did to the rest of my family, who were true vampires. I was a mix between vampires and humans and only I could stand a little bit of human food – but not much. Humans didn't have very good taste in my opinion, anyway.

The rest of my family burst outside at vampire speed. My eyes could make out the movement much more clearly than humans would, but I could not see every detail as perfectly as my parents described it. They started to run and I ran to catch up. I couldn't, obviously. I was not as fast as vampires. My parents slowed down to stay with me but I knew they were itching to run ahead. Just like last time, I let them go. However, last time I had run into somebody totally unexpected. Lester. There had been no wind that day – I hadn't smelled him until it was too late! I had seen him and I had to stop. He smelled delicious – of course, but being part vampire and part human meant I didn't have as much desire to drink human blood as true vampires did. I had heard my family moving towards me, smelling the human and wondering if I was attacking him. He had spoken to me, but I did not want to be rude and just leave. So I said hello and excused myself. But I could smell him now. _Maybe he's looking for me, _I thought. I hoped Edward hadn't been close enough to hear that. His scent grew stronger and I retreated quietly.

I caught a scent blowing through the wind. I could tell it was elk, which was one of my favourites. I could outrun elk by a fairly long distance, but my parents could outrun them by miles. Being as silent as possible, I crept up on the creature until I had a good view and then lurched from the trees. It bolted and I kept up at a fast jogging pace. When I was finished with everything, I ran back to find my family who were also coming to find me.

"Hey, Nessie! What's up?" Emmett yelled. Rosalie punched him in the arm.

"Did you find anything, dear?" Esme – my _grandmother _– called. It was so strange calling somebody so _young _my grandmother.

"Yes," I deliberated for a second, but my thoughts revealed nothing. "I found an elk."

_Not to mention . . . _I noticed dad looking at me and quickly thought of something else.

"Well," Alice called, excited. "You have to come with us. We're going back to get ready for school!"

My dad came over and bent down. I jumped onto his back and we ran – well, the vampires ran and I enjoyed the ride – back home.

Alice rushed around - a blur of white skin and black hair – finding the best clothes for my 'first day of school.'

"Nessie, first day of school at 16, eh?" Emmett called, grinning stupidly.

"Are you worried?" Jasper asked me.

"Huh?" I asked. "Oh, no . . ."

"Nessie, I can tell what you're feeling."

"What's she feeling?" my mum – Bella – called, racing down the stairs.

"I'm just . . . anxious."

I would not let them know that I was worried about seeing Lester again. In a town so small there were only a few schools and he seemed to be in our area - unless he wandered a very far distance – he probably went to our school. Alice and Rosalie appeared at that moment, handing over a pile of clothes. My mum was handed a pile, too and we trudged begrudgingly upstairs. "You think I could dress myself?" she muttered on her way up. I had a very stylish ensemble and wondered why Alice would want me to wear high heels to school. I was thankful that they weren't too high.

"I'm ready!" I called, descending down the stairs. My parents stood there with their arms wrapped around each other and so did every other couple. My mum looked gorgeous.

"She does," Edward agreed, answering my thoughts. Every pair of eyes flew to his. He wouldn't reveal anything.

"Let's GO!" Alice cried and we raced outside to the garage.

_My first day of school, _I mused as we drove off.


	5. School

**School (Bella's P.O.V)**

Edward, Renesmee and I stepped out of his car while the others emerged from theirs. Because Renesmee appeared more human than the rest of us, she skipped inside first alone, shortly followed by Jasper and Rosalie. We had decided that the couples should not go in together and that we should 'lay low' on our relationships, for we did not want too much attention to be drawn to ourselves, considering there would be enough already. Edward and Alice walked in a little while later, so as not to overwhelm the secretary and, after a pause, Emmett and I entered.

Inside was very warm and quite small and the secretary seemed rather flustered. I could smell her inviting scent, hear the steady pump of her heart, and see the flow of her blood beneath her almost transparent skin and fine membrane. Leaning over the desk, it seemed to be the closest that I had been to a human in my life. I could feel her breath and sensed her eyes staring, dumbfounded, at my family's beauty. I could restrain myself – I knew I could - and so I pushed her scent to the back of my mind.

"My name is Bella Cullen," I spoke in my smooth, wind-chime voice. It took her a second to register that I was speaking to her – I stifled a laugh – and she jolted forward as her hands fluttered to find our schedules. Her scent hit me full in the face and I blinked for one 64th of a second before reminding myself that I needed to act human and regained my composure in under a second.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, passing me my schedule. As I turned away, I noticed Jasper staring at me. He was used to my sudden changes in emotions but I had not done so in a while and I caught him by surprise. I flashed a brief smile and followed him out into the hallway.

_I'm at school again, but now I'm a vampire, _I thought. I had been out in the city surrounded by humans before, but I had not been in such small rooms crowded with them in this way. Wave after wave of different scents hit me almost simultaneously and I could feel my muscles tighten, the extra flow of venom in my mouth . . . Edward came over to me with human speed and I nodded at him. Of course I was fine – he was overreacting. Again. He still couldn't get over his protectiveness. I was still rather tentative and did not completely trust myself so I stayed close to Edward. We found a table that was the farthest away from everybody else and pulled out our schedules to compare with each other. Renesmee leaned into my side and I put my arm around her. It felt so strange that I was eighteen and my daughter was sixteen!

I could feel many eyes boring into our backs and I immediately felt self-conscious.

"So, Eddie," Emmett spoke so softly that no other human would be able to hear, "what do they think of us?"

Edward chuckled softly. "Well, they're obviously very shy . . . most are admiring our beauty, some are becoming insanely jealous . . ."

He pursed his lips. "The men are looking at the girls," he said dryly. I could tell that they would be looking at Alice, Rosalie and Renesmee. Renesmee's astounding beauty – her wide, beautiful eyes, her gorgeous smile . . . I could tell that they would notice Alice with her petite, graceful figure and cute, spiky hair. Then, I looked at Rosalie. She was so impossibly beautiful that I winced in despair. Her ringlets of beautiful golden hair, the absolute perfection of her face . . . I smiled at Alice and she grinned back. Edward stiffened as heads turned in my direction. I ducked, laughing. Edward did not move. "You don't give yourself enough credit," he commented. I flashed another smile at him and more heads turned. Before I could ask him what they were thinking, Alice was suddenly grinning from ear to ear.

"Bella, Bella, this is so exciting!" she crooned, bouncing up and down in her seat. Her hair flew in all directions and Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Calm down, Alice – it's only school. Don't get yourself so worked up about it!"

"But, but, it's your first time at school as a v- . . . oy!"

Emmett grinned stupidly at Jasper and I could tell that he was calming Alice down. "Nobody can hear me – no need to punch me like that, Emmett!" she cried. Renesmee looked at me and I smiled back. We compared our timetables and I noticed with dismay that I only had three classes with Edward – English, history and P.E. I knew that we would need to find a way to change that, but I ignored it for the time being and worked out what other classes I shared with people. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were going to be a year older than us, so I checked with Alice and Renesmee. Alice was with me for trig, biology and geography and Renesmee was with me for calculus, chemistry, history and geography.

"I have biology first period," I announced rather gloomily.

"Same!" Alice squeaked, jumping up from her seat with grace. "Let's go!"

I sighed at Edward and Renesmee and headed off with Alice. It felt so good to be so graceful and, although there was a wide berth of space given between the humans and the vampires, they still watched with wide eyes as we entered the classroom. Being so close to humans in a very small room brought the dull ache in my throat back to the front of my mind, yet I easily ignored it, reminding myself that the humans had their own lives to live. Mr Phillips was our teacher – an old, exhausted looking man with curly hair framing the large bald patch on the back of his scalp and huge wrinkles on his face. "Find yourselves a lab partner, please," he commanded in a bored monotone. Alice looked wistfully at me, realising that we would not be able to sit together. _Why bother? _I thought sarcastically. _You knew this was coming, anyway! _I headed over to a spare table and slid easily into my seat. I had to remind myself to be human – at any point I could slip and accidentally hold my pencil too hard . . . just then, a boy came walking down to sit next to me. I assessed him carefully – he had short, gold-blonde hair and watery, blue eyes. His skin was rather pale – like mine when I was human (as Edward told me, for it was too dark to remember) and I could see the blood pulsing through his neck. He had a very delicious scent but I simply stiffened slightly and looked elsewhere. He was sitting so close to me and our arms were almost touching; I pulled mine under the table quickly before he could feel the temperature of my skin. I gently placed my hair over my shoulder – creating a wall between us – and turned my attention away.

However, even though he couldn't see my face, I could tell he was trying. He kept peeping at me with a stunned look in his eyes. When we began to pull out equipment from the cupboards next to us, he attempted to speak to me. "Hello," he said timidly. "My name's Lester. What's yours?"

I froze in my tracks and, in under a second, realised that my movement was too quick. _Drat! _I thought. He was still looking at me. I inwardly sighed and mumbled, "Hi."

Lester. _Lester. _I had heard in Renesmee's dreams the name Lester before, but I could never get a clear picture. Of course it had to be the Lester that Renesmee had been dreaming about. He was watching my swift movements with awe and I stopped. "Do you want me to set it up?" he asked. I didn't want to speak – he seemed shocked at my voice already. I simply nodded and slid back into my chair, grasping the table. I could feel it slightly bend and I hurriedly placed my hands underneath and pushed it back into place. Nobody could have noticed – I performed that task in a 16th of a second. But Alice could. She was watching me and mouthed, _What? _

I just looked at her and spoke so quietly that only she would hear, "I'll tell you later."

So, whilst doing our work, I endured Lester staring at me the whole time. I was so grateful when the bell rang that I jumped up and left quickly, leaving him standing behind alone.


	6. School 2

**School (Lester's P.O.V)**

I was walking down the rows of tables, trying to find someone who would be my lab partner. Nobody would ask me – I would simply get the 'leftover' girl who hadn't found anybody that they actually wanted to be with. Suddenly, I stopped at a table with a girl sitting on her own. She glanced at me and only very subtly stiffened before turning away. Her eyes were astonishing – they were liquid gold in colour! I sighed, knowing that I wasn't exactly welcome and decided to sit next to her anyway.

Only I would notice somebody stiffening as subtly as that – I was used to reading signs of rejection from people, for I had never been accepted by anybody.

The inhumanly beautiful creature sat next to me – just inches away. I yearned to reach out and touch her almost completely translucent skin – just to see what it felt like – and I wished to examine her honey gold eyes. She was so incredible it was hard to describe. I slid into the seat, barely containing my glee at having such an amazing lab partner.

I glanced around the room and saw another girl who had the same colour skin and eyes, yet this one was tiny and had spiky black hair. She was inhumanly beautiful, too, yet she was no way near as stunning as the girl next to me. I hesitantly placed my arm on the table next to hers and, after only a second, she pulled hers away. My heart sank. She pulled her hair over her shoulders and looked away from me. I still tried to get her attention, though. I did not know why but I had to do _something! _

I felt the way I did that afternoon when I saw the girl in the forest . . . that was it! I knew there was something about this girl that I recognised! She looked so similar! I needed to see her face; to see if I was right. I would peek at her constantly until Mr Phillips told us to get our equipment out. Gracefully, she slid out of her seat and opened the cupboard, still avoiding contact with me. I tried to be friendly, for I needed to hear her voice. Then I would know if it was she or not. "Hello," I spoke timidly. "My name's Lester. What's yours?"

In response, she made a strange, sudden jerk and froze. It was so fast and she seemed so still that I blinked in surprise before regaining my composure and waited for her answer. "Hi," she muttered. Her voice was high and very musical – like beautiful wind chimes. This was definitely not the voice, yet I was not convinced. There seemed to be a connection between the girl I saw a few days ago and this girl.

I hadn't forgotten that she hadn't told me her name.

She was still setting up the equipment with such elegance and swiftness that I could only stare. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she stopped. Just like that! After a pause, I asked, "Do you want me to set it up?" I asked. She still said nothing, so I began to set it up, anyway. She rested her hands on the edge of the table and stayed still until the bell rang. Then, she leapt up - her grace struck me yet again – and left the room.

After a while, I left to go to the cafeteria. I tried to subtly glance around when I spotted a tall, leonine male with blonde hair walk across the room. He was pale with golden eyes and I watched him walk all the way across the room, where I noticed the girl was sitting already. He seemed to be walking down the catwalk than through a school cafeteria. The tiny girl joined them very shortly after and immediately went over to the male. They simply sat there. The small female seemed to be speaking, but neither of them was looking at each other and her lips were moving so subtly yet so quickly.

Just then, a large male with huge brawn walked up to them, shortly followed by – undoubtedly – the most _beautiful _female I had ever seen in my life! Her beauty captivated me when my attention was drawn to a male and a female now approaching the table. Literally, the girl who was my lab partner jumped up with a smile so huge it was like she had just been told that Christmas would be everyday! She hugged the male first and then turned to the female. My mouth fell open in shock!

The girl – it was the girl that I had seen. The one I had gone looking for – she had the same colour hair as the man she walked next to, nearly the same shaped face . . . but she had the same shaped eyes as my lab partner and also some facial features that were the same . . . my lab partner hugged her tightly and they all sat down at the one table. You could tell they were connected – there was something between them all . . . except for the girl that I had first seen. Her skin was not so pale as the others and she was the only one with eyes that were not gold. I _adored _the chocolate brown colour of her eyes. I decided that I must go over to speak to her.


	7. Lester

**Lester (Edward's P.O.V)**

Bella hugged me as soon as I came back from my class. Her smile was so gorgeous that my heart would have raced if it were beating. She hugged Renesmee before settling down with both of us. "I've missed you," I told her, pressing my lips to her hair.

"I know," she responded and I could hear a smile in her musical voice.

"Enduring a whole two period without you is excruciating, you know," I commented, staring into her eyes. I liked them a lot better golden than red. I would never forget the chocolate brown and Renesmee's eyes were constant reminders. The red I could handle, yet I loved her eyes to be as golden as they were now.

"I was sitting next to _Lester_," Bella whispered to me and I knew Renesmee could not hear.

"Lester?" I gasped.

Just then, I was distracted by the thoughts of others around me.

. . . _so beautiful! I have to ask her to the homecoming dance . . ._

_. . . her eyes are something special – so _gold_ . . ._

I growled. Apart from those admiring Rosalie's beauty, the rest of the male population in our school were staring at Bella and some at Alice. I looked at her and she looked up.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," I muttered, glancing around at the eyes that flashed to her face when she looked up. She laughed her tinkling laugh and more heads turned.

_Why aren't they all looking at _me_? Well, I guess that one is . . ._

Rosalie, yet again, was admiring her appearance and its effect on others.

_There aren't any girls here that exceed _my _beauty . . ._

I couldn't understand how she would blame her beauty for the reason she could never have children one moment and then be completely self-absorbed the next.

_Well, _I thought, _Rosalie is shallow_ . . .

_. . . have to challenge Jasper when we get home . . . he can't get away that easily . . ._

Emmett was thinking of another re-match for a competition that had started weeks ago. I shook my head. I tried to see if Bella had lifted her shield and she hadn't. She was being unusually quiet. I waited for a while, listening to mindless thoughts flit through my head when my patience got the better of me.

"What are you thinking?"

"I was just thinking about Lester . . ." Bella responded. Renesmee glanced up.

"Lester?" she asked. Renesmee's thoughts flashed back and I saw it all:

_I was running; looking for prey . . . there was no wind – I didn't sense him . . . he stood there looking at me . . . "I'm Lester." "Hello," I said . . . I must go . . ._

Renesmee's thoughts flashed through my mind.

"He's here?" she asked.

"Yes," Bella said. "Just look behind you – he couldn't stop staring at me before and he's probably watching us."

I growled.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are," I muttered into her neck.

I could hear someone's breathing behind us. I subtly turned around to see the face of the person in Renesmee's thoughts. _Lester, _I thought.

_I can't believe it! She goes to this school – _my _school! I must talk to her, but she won't care. Nobody cares about me. Not even my lab partner. They are so beautiful . . . but there's something about them. Nobody else looks like that . . . maybe they could be mutants in the form of humans . . . but mutants can't look so much like supermodels . . ._

I chuckled quietly.

"What?" Bella and Renesmee asked. Jasper and Alice's attention was drawn to us, yet Rosalie and Emmett seemed to be thinking about themselves. Not surprising for Rosalie – Emmett was probably absorbed in re-match tactics. One quick check at his mind and I was certain.

"_Lester _thinks that we are mutants in the form of humans, but he can't imagine how mutants look so much like supermodels!"

We all laughed at that, but not at each other and very softly.

_. . . have to talk to her . . . but what if she doesn't want to . . . need to know her name . . ._

I looked at Bella and said, "He's obsessing over Renesmee."

A shocked and slightly angry look passed Bella's face. "Alice," she asked.

"Yes, Bella?" Alice responded, not looking at her.

"What class does Lester have next? Is Renesmee in it?"  
She shut her eyes for a second and her face became blank. "Renesmee's in it."

"Oh, boy," Bella sighed. I laughed.


	8. Class

**Class (Lester's P.O.V)**

She clouded my thoughts and I could not get her out of my head. Her full-lipped smile made my lab partner pale in comparison. She looked so much like both the male and the female that I was sure those three were the ones who were related. But the colour of their skin and their eyes were different! It was so confusing and I decided that I _had_ to talk to her – no matter what. I hoped desperately that she would be in my next class. What was her name? I saw her slide out of her chair and slip out of the room. I knew that she was going to her next class – it was almost time, anyway. I sighed and headed to my classroom. By the time I entered, I scanned the room carefully. My heart almost leapt out of my chest when I noticed that she was sitting on her own at the back of the classroom. I tried not to appear in a rush, but I hurried to take the seat next to her before anybody else did. I dumped my books on the table and looked at her, admiring her beauty now that she was so close to me. I swallowed twice before speaking.

"Hi . . . um, I think I met you in the woods a few days ago . . ." my voice trailed off as I watched her self-consciously twirl a finger around her perfect, bronze-coloured locks of hair.

"Hello," she responded in exactly the same way as she had before. I seemed to get lost as I stared into her wide eyes and examined her perfect lips that were pressed gently together as she assessed me.

"So, um," I could hear my voice was shaky and I became annoyed with myself. _Is that the way you want to impress her? _I wondered. _Appearing afraid at meeting a girl? _But, it was true. I had never mixed with people before because nobody seemed to like or care about me. It was as if I was invisible and I had never had the courage to introduce myself to anybody for fear of rejection.

"Um . . ." I repeated. "What's your name?"  
She drew a small breath and the teacher suddenly called my name. "Lester?"

"Yes, Mr Jones?"

"I asked you a question!" he stared at me with a stern glare.

"M-may you repeat the question, sir?" I asked, shrinking back into my seat. My cheeks flushed bright red and the girl next to me seemed more uncomfortable.

"I _said,_" Mr Jones began, but I missed the rest. The girl's eyes were wider, watching me expectantly to give the answer.

"LESTER JONES! All right, class. If Lester cannot listen to the question, then he may not answer. You will _see me after this, Lester_!"

I blushed even deeper in embarrassment. The girl shifted in her seat.

"Can anybody else answer my question?"

The girl next to me raised her hand.

"Yes . . . what's your name?"  
I drew in a deep breath. She seemed to glance at me before responding,

"Renesmee."

Speaking in her beautiful voice, Renesmee answered the question without hesitation. I gawked at her. _Renesmee, _I thought. _What a beautiful name . . ._

I was watching her the whole time. She sat very still and paid attention, but I couldn't.

"Why did you move to this school?" I asked. I was looking for something to strike up a casual conversation, but I seemed to be falling short. She would mumble one-word responses at me or pretend she didn't hear. But I knew she could hear. I didn't understand why she didn't want to get to know me. With other people, I would just let them be and not bother to work out why they didn't want to spend time with me. But, in Renesmee's case, I wanted to know why. I _needed _to know why. I folded my arms gently and tried to concentrate on our work. But it was impossible!

"Your siblings . . ." I began. I was shocked when I saw her reaction, but I was shocked in a good way. She turned her whole torso in my direction and completely lost focus on the teacher. "Yes?" she asked, watching me with a worried expression.

"Are they . . ." my voice trailed off as I watched her eyes grow bigger and bigger with horror.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Are they all adopted?"

She audibly exhaled and then answered my question. "Rosalie and Jasper are siblings, Edward, Bella and I are siblings and Emmett and Alice were adopted separately. We're all adopted, actually. It's just that some of us were adopted together. Carlisle and Esme are very compassionate – they couldn't take either of us without the other."

I pondered her reaction for a moment before losing interest as I continued to stare at her. She was watching me now with an expression I could not name. Maybe . . . curiosity? No, it wasn't. It seemed like I was a specimen and she was examining me. I felt self-conscious and blushed. She immediately turned away. The bell rang after what seemed to be a decade. She rose and began to leave. It took all of my courage to say, "Wait up!"

She stopped with obvious hesitation before turning around.

"Yes?" she asked questioningly.

I chickened out. I _was _planning on asking her if she was doing anything this afternoon, but I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"What's the name of the girl that looks most like you?"

She laughed softly before replying,

"That's Bella. She's my m- . . . most favourite sister in the world!"

She turned and left more quickly than before – I guessed it was to get away more quickly from me. When she was gone, I inwardly kicked myself. _Why didn't I just ask her? _But I knew that she would have said no anyway.


	9. My Daughter

**My Daughter (Edward's P.O.V)**

Renesmee had thought everything and I knew what had happened. He had been asking her questions and she was getting . . . not annoyed, but uncomfortable. She didn't want to say much – she feared he was getting too attached to her and she didn't want him investigating the secrets behind our family. I was very grateful for that. He had then asked about her siblings – us – and she thought he was trying to guess what we were, or at least say that we weren't human. I was pleased, but her reaction had been too obvious. I had searched Lester's thoughts, but he had thought nothing of it. I snickered – he had been too busy noticing the fact that her whole _torso _was turned in his direction! She had answered his questions and was wondering about such a strange creature that was so desperate to talk to her. I heard his thoughts at that moment – thinking she was staring at him like he was some kind of specimen – which I laughed at inwardly. He was a specimen to Renesmee! I also knew that he had said wait up, but chickened out. It was only when he blushed deeply did Renesmee quickly leave, for she could smell and see it very clearly – although not as much as I could have.

I was at home now. Bella was sitting next to me, content to be in my arms. It had been about 2 months since this happened and I kept thinking of it. Lester was mesmerised by Renesmee and I sensed that it would still be hard for her to ignore him. She had avoided him like a plague, but he had still tried. It was his tentative nature that kept him from really getting anywhere with her. My daughter had spoken to me about her concern. She was worried that Lester would get too attached to the family, but she still wished that she could socialize with other people outside the family. Humans did not affect her as much as they affected me. My thoughts drifted over to Bella.

A few days ago, Bella had emerged from the car looking stunning. Heads turned and she was oblivious to it. So, when she walked around the school cafeteria getting her 'lunch' and crossing the room to our table, many pairs of eyes followed her. Most thoughts were jealous or awe-struck. Then, when she was on her way to class, three males asked her to the homecoming dance. More asked her after school. I shook my head and chuckled.

I could hear Renesmee in the next room.

"I think Lester really likes her," Bella told me.

"I do, too. But not the way I felt about you a few days after I met you." He paused. "After I knew I could resist your blood."

"It's still in the dark," she said. "I'm trying to remember it but it is really hard. When I changed, it had been so long ago that it was already darker than my more recent memories. It's still difficult to remember."

Renesmee entered the room at that point.

"There's something I didn't tell you."

"What?" Bella and I both asked at the same time. Bella looked at me with those molten eyes and I smiled back.

"Well, when I left you to go hunting, I smelled him again. I'm not sure if he's attracted to me in . . . well, the way the rest of you are. I think there's something about me that he wants to know."

"Renesmee, I can hear his thoughts. Trust me, I'll know if he thinks that."

"Okay," she replied, doubtfully. She looked very uncomfortable.

"Honey, what is it?" Bella asked, concern in her voice. I smiled despite myself.

Renesmee squirmed.

I saw a mental image flash through her mind and she blushed, knowing that I could see.

_Lester sitting next to her . . . they move their arms at the same time . . . Lester's mind filled with the image of a forest and Bella and I crouching . . . ready to attack . . ._

I gasped and Bella's adorable eyes flew to mine, full of worry.

"Lester touched Renesmee's arm and he saw a vision of us . . . hunting."  
"That was what I was thinking about – I'm sorry!" Renesmee wailed, hands flying up to hide her face in dismay. "He didn't see that much – I cut it off before he could see what you really are. He didn't even see what you were crouching for – there weren't any animals."

"Don't worry," Bella said, rushing over to comfort our daughter.

"How do you know that he won't say anything?" Renesmee asked, her eyes still wide in anxiety.

"We can't be _sure,_" I said, "but he doesn't really socialize with other people. Still, with his obsession over you," my face twisted into a subtle scowl, "he may not forget."

Renesmee's hands came up to her face again.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Renesmee," Bella said, "do you, well, _like _him?"

"I . . ." Renesmee hesitated. "I don't think so. I mean, he is _interesting, _I guess, but nothing more."

I grinned at Bella and she smiled back with her gorgeous, twinkling eyes. From somewhere upstairs there was a muffled crash and we both stiffened.

"What?" Bella asked.

I looked at her with shock written all over my face.


	10. Vulnerable Prey

**Vulnerable Prey (Lester's P.O.V)**

I wandered off alone again. Renesmee had been ignoring me and I did not know why. But she still paid attention to me. In a vain attempt to find her alone so that she would speak to me – for nobody would be listening then – I had returned to the woods. Not only that, but the woods were soothing and relieved me from my burdens. Everything was silent and peaceful. The tall, majestic trees towering above me seemed to be clearing the way for me to be engulfed in the darkness ahead. Everything was green and a damp smell clung to the air around me. It was another dreary day and my shoulders sagged. I glanced up at the sky and noticed that there was a faint gleam of sunlight struggling to protrude from the thick clouds preventing it. My spirits lifted slightly and I trudged forward.

I remembered the day – only a few days ago – that Renesmee's arm touched mine. The strangest sensation rippled through me and I saw a vision of Bella and the Cullen with the bronze hair together in the woods, crouching low. They looked like . . . like they were going to _attack _someone! But she had pulled her arm away quickly and stared at me with an unfathomable expression – not worried but . . . slightly guilty? Anxious? She looked like she was going to kick herself. Her skin was slightly colder than mine and paler. I hoped that I would find her and ask her if she saw what I saw, too. It was strange when our skin connected that I saw something and I wondered if she had seen it, too.

I could now see the sunlight on the ground ahead and slowed down. After been pulled out of my thoughts, I noticed that the atmosphere was too still – as if every living thing had disappeared into hiding, cowering away from something . . . or someone. This had never happened before to me so I could not have been the cause. I looked around and received the chilling feeling that I was being followed. My heart hammered and I could almost feel the blood rushing inside me as panic welled into my throat and I could not speak. I tried to cry out, "Who's there?" but my throat choked up. As my heart race increased I whirled around to see a pair of penetrating, red eyes focusing on me. The eyes glowed brightly, but nearer to the creature's irises was pitch black. "Hello," called a musical voice.

I stepped back.

"Well, well, well," the voice mused. "When I smelled you, I was thinking that you could be the last in my little . . . collection. It seems that your scent it just _too _inviting to waste."

I could not comprehend what the stranger was saying and I retreated another step back.

"Oh, no," the voice cooed. "Don't run away."

The stranger stepped forward and I could see the stranger - a female - for the first time. She had hair as black as night and extremely pale skin. Beneath her eyes were purplish bruises and she had the most perfect figure I had ever seen. She reminded me vaguely of the Cullens, except for the colour of her eyes.

"W-what do you want?" I choked out in desperation.

"Hmm, how to answer that?" she pondered for a second, taunting me. "I want _you_."

"M-me?" I stammered.

"It's very complicated, you see. When vulnerable prey stumbles near, I cannot just _ignore _them, can I?" she asked, stepping forward.

"I . . . don't . . . understand," I mumbled, blushing.

"Ahh," she sighed, inhaling deeply. "You have a most . . . _intoxicating _scent."

I could only stare at her. I took another step back.

"It's too late to run now," she murmured gently. "Do you want to see what I am?"

I was too frightened to move. She stepped forward into the sunlight and I gasped in shock. Her skin was sparkling like a thousand shattered diamonds. Her pearly white teeth gleamed as she smiled wryly, crouching. It reminded me of the vision I had seen when I touched Renesmee.

"Please don't hurt me," I whimpered, taking another step back. I tripped and fell, scraping my finger along something in the grass. I lifted it up to examine it and noticed one drop of blood oozing from the cut. I looked back at the girl and was stunned to notice her eyes had rapidly turned to a jet-black colour.

"What are you?" I asked.

"I am a vampire."

I couldn't bear it any longer. I tried to scramble up and run, but she was right by me in a flash. Her impossible speed stunned me and suddenly I was crying out in pain. My vision was faltering and I was becoming too dizzy to move. I tried to cry out one last time before I slipped into unconsciousness. The last sound I heard was a howl that seemed to rip through the still air so far away . . .


	11. Shock

**Shock (Alice's P.O.V)**

Just like the time when I discovered the Volturi were coming, I had been arranging things in the room. This time, however, it was a crystal candleholder that I was carrying when another startling vision struck me. I was so startled, shocked and worried about what I had seen in my vision that I barely noticed dropping the expensive crystal items in my hands. Jasper flew in from another room and immediately asked me what was wrong. He stared at me with a worried expression with his hands on each of my shoulders. I could only stare blankly and he shook me gently. "It's Lester," I gasped. "He's in the woods . . . we have to hurry . . ." images from my vision filled my head.

_Lester wandering alone . . . Lester seeing the vampire . . . his fear . . . he tripped . . . his finger began to bleed . . . she sprung, attacking . . ._

My tiny hand flew up to my throat in surprise. "Quick!" I yelled. I raced down the stairs in a flash and saw Edward and Bella already there, with Renesmee clutching Bella's arms while Edward hugged Bella.

"Edward, it's-"

"I know," he responded sharply. "Get on my back, Nessie! We have to hurry!"

"Carlisle! Esme! Emmett! Rose!" Jasper arrived at my side before I could call his name. The rest of the family gathered and we began to run. Because oxygen was not a necessity, I could tell my family what had happened while we ran.

"Lester was caught alone by a vampire in the woods and he fell, cutting his finger. She couldn't resist and began to drink his blood," my eyes flickered to Renesmee who had inhaled sharply.

"But he was saved," I continued, still flying hand-in-hand with Jasper. "The vision disappeared from there. The werewolves – sorry, 'shape-shifters' around here must have chased her off before she could finish . . ." my voice trailed off, unwilling to complete my sentence. I started again. "She ran, leaving Lester behind."

"So he's being changed?" Bella asked, stunned.

"Yes," I concluded quietly.

"And _why _exactly did we drop everything and run for this _Lester_?" Rosalie asked, snorting.

"Do you want him to wake up and reap havoc amongst the town without knowing how to control himself?" I retorted with acid in my voice.

"Alice," Esme warned. I could smell him up ahead – rather, I could smell his spilt blood.

An ear-splitting scream tore through the air and, as I entered the clearing, I could see Lester lying on the forest floor, twitching and writhing in agony. Carlisle rushed over to see if any damage had been done while I stood motionless, watching. Nobody moved, waiting for Carlisle's response. The fresh scent of blood wafted up my nose. Looking at the rest of my family through the corners of my eyes, I could see that the golden colour of their eyes was becoming darker – especially Bella's. But I knew that Bella would not attack no matter how much the monster within her wanted to.

"He's not been hurt in any way other than where he was bitten _here_ . . ." Carlisle called, pointing. I shut my eyes and checked our future. I couldn't see anything and let out a sharp breath.

"Our future disappeared," I warned them, looking each person in the eye while Lester twitched and screamed. "The werewolves may be coming to get _us_!"

"We'll take them down easy," Emmett retorted, flexing his muscles.

"I don't think we should," Jasper warned him, glancing at me.

"Let's go," Edward growled.

"Should we take him?" Renesmee asked in a small voice. Esme rushed over to her and clasped her shoulders lovingly.

"Of course we can, dear," she said. "We wouldn't leave him to fend for himself."

Carlisle picked up Lester's body and I saw Bella shudder involuntarily. I guessed she was imagining the pain, for her memory was very recent compared to ours. We began to run and I caught the scent of a 'shape-shifter.' I knew they were near and I picked up the pace, wrinkling my nose in disgust. The others did the same. By the time we reached the house, I had a few very important things I had to say. I waited until Carlisle had laid Lester down and then began to speak.

"I believe that we must create a treaty with these 'shape-shifters' or they'll be after us, too," I said and the others nodded in agreement. "Also, I fear that this vampire may be here for more than just hunting." I grimaced slightly. "When we were running back, I caught her scent again. But it was not fresh – about 2 or 3 days old. This place is small – she could not have been here only to hunt!"

Renesmee glanced over at Lester. In my vision, I saw him open his bloodred eyes . . .


	12. Awakening

**Awakening (Lester's P.O.V)**

It shattered my body. It seared through my whole insides, burning and ripping apart my body. Every now and then, I screamed. The pain was excruciating! But, then, I felt cool hands on my body, lifting me from the ground. Was it the ground? I was so engulfed by the fire that I couldn't reach my senses. The cool relieved me momentarily and then I felt something else blowing over me, which seemed about as cold as the hands gripping my body. It was only minutes later that the 'breeze' stopped and the pain of the fire was brought back to my full attention. I screamed again. I was set down and the cool hands let go, brining agony through my veins. I didn't know how long it would last but I knew _I_ could not last too much longer.

It could have been one day – it could have been millions. I was not sure, but the pain eventually ebbed away from my fingertips. I was so relieved that I moved them and the pain seared through the rest of my fingers, but it never made it back to my fingertips. Each tongue of blistering agony still seared through my whole insides, but it seemed something had stopped it from returning. After a while, the pain left my hands.

But it still burned mercilessly through the rest of my body.

I had not opened my eyes once and had no desire to. I was not sure if it would be more painful or not, yet I did not feel compelled in the least to even try.

"He's getting colder," a voice sounded above me.

Apart from that, there were only slight, muffled noises that I heard every now and then, but I had to wait for the fire to leave my body before I dared to speak. It ebbed away from my arms, my feet and my head. Eventually it only burned through my torso. I began to hear things more clearly and I could hear my heart beating. Suddenly, all the fire gathered to my heart without warning. It attacked my heart with all of its mighty force. I was so struck by the pain that I could not scream, even if I wished to. It faded away and I heard one last _thump _before everything was silent.

My eyes flew open.

Nine pairs of eyes stared down at me. I felt a pain – a dry, parched ache – at the back of my throat. It was as painful as the fire, yet it also had a different feeling to it. A dry, parched, barren feeling - an ache, a yearning. I took in a deep breath and felt the air swirl gently down my throat, but the action felt strange, for I hadn't felt any desire to breathe. With that breath came wonderful scents and I glanced around in surprise.

"What happened?" I gasped at the sound of my musical voice. I caught the scent of something that was a cross between wonderful and . . . _delicious_! I leapt up in a 16th of a second, crouching and ready to spring. I realised my target – Renesmee. Everybody else was tensed, ready to throw themselves in front of her, except for the one with massive brawn who looked ready to smash me into a million pieces if I dared to step any closer.

"Hello, Lester," a Cullen I had never seen before addressed me. He was handsome and blonde, but looked older than most of them.

"What happened? What _am _I?" I asked, listening in shock at my musical voice. I was so strange - my arms were so pale and I could see, hear and smell everything with absolute clarity.

"You're a vampire," Bella said, stepping forward. "Are you thirsty?"

"Thirsty?" I repeated, stunned.

"Isn't your throat aching?" she asked.

"Oh . . . does that mean I'm _thirsty_?"

"Now that you have changed, your diet _should _consist of human blood. They are your prey and at your vampire age, it is nearly impossible to control your instincts. But-"

"Wait a second!" I cried. "If it's impossible, how come I'm not desperate to drink _your _blood?"

Everybody laughed out loud. "Don't you get it? We're not humans – _we're vampires_!"

The muscular one laughed louder.

"But," Bella continued, "We are what we call 'vegetarian' vampires. We have abstained from drinking human blood. Instead, we hunt animals."

"If you're vampires, then how come I wanted to attack Renesmee?" I asked, glancing at her. She smiled warmly and a strange feeling surged through my body.

"Well, that's an interesting story," the male with bronze hair said, smirking. "But, first, we should take you hunting."

The ache in my throat was becoming worse.

"Okay," I said shakily. "But . . . but I don't know _how_!"

The beautiful blonde female giggled. "Oh, you'll _sure _know how soon enough!"

Bella laughed and they turned to leave.

"Let's GO!" the muscular vampire cried.

Suddenly, I was hurtling through the air.

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! I really appreciate your support but I was wondering if you could give me some tips?? Reviews are greatly appreciated and I already have a plan for what I think will happen (I have a few chapters already written) but it would be great if you could express your thoughts, too! I should be updating soon (for those who have already read what happens due to my huge stuff-up, there's still more of what you already read so you'll just have to be patient with me :D). Thanks!

**Grace Falcon**


	13. Time

**Time (Bella's P.O.V)**

It had been about two years since Lester's transformation. He had willingly accepted our way of life and we avoided humans, for he had no supernatural self-control. Thinking of self-control made me wonder about newborns who _didn't _follow our way of life. There had been numerous attacks in various small towns and we all knew the true cause. However, Alice had never been able to see them coming and Edward agreed that the 'shape-shifters' we had run into two years ago were stopping them from making a huge scene.

Of course, when Lester became a vampire, we had needed to move away from our previous town to somewhere more remote so that he could develop self-control. I had liked that place and hoped that we could return – maybe in 100 years or so. Being with Edward for eternity was such a blissful thing to imagine; for we would always have enough time alone and there was never any dread to think that he may die someday. I was perfectly content with that thought of reassurance.

Time passed, going on and on. It was a nice prospect to be living in peace. Rosalie grew more accepting of Lester and each couple bonded closer. These days were filled with endless harmony and delight. I couldn't help but hope Jacob could have been here, happy just to be with us 'leeches' as I would have been to have him here with us. I could have lived with Jake and Renesmee together, but I knew that it could never have worked perfectly, anyway.

Lester was growing more attached to Renesmee and I began to accept that he would be the right one for her. I now catch her blushing when they see each other and a feeling of joy wells up inside me when I think that _everyone _in our family could be happy together. I really began to notice how close-knit our coven really is. Vampires have predator instincts and they live to kill humans. Spending more time together acting more human than anything else resurfaced the humanness from beneath our vampire nature.

Lester and Renesmee are comfortable together. They hold hands and walk side by side. I am sure that, whatever the outcome, they will always be close to one another. Time continued to pass.

**Author's Note:**

This is just a short chapter I wrote, which is sort of like an 'intermission' in the story.

Thanks for your continued support, everyone!

_Grace Falcon_


	14. Invisible

**Invisible (Lester's P.O.V)**

It was about a year ago. We were playing in the snow and Emmett was trying to catch us. I marvelled as Edward and Bella sped out of sight, amazed at the speed of Edward's legs. It was like he wasn't even touching the ground. Renesmee came up to my side and said, "Let's hide here!" But, she spoke too loudly. Emmett's head jerked up and he sprinted toward's us. I grabbed her arm and squeezed it, hoping desperately that we could just disappear. I tried to run, but it was too late. He caught up to us. Surprisingly, Emmett stopped and stared around with a puzzled expression before turning and chasing Jasper. It was only then that I turned and realised Renesmee had disappeared. I noticed that my hand seemed to be clutching at thin air, but I could feel her warmth and I could hear her heart.

"Renesmee?" I asked, astonished.

"Yes?" she responded. "Lester? Where are you?"

I let go and she suddenly came into view.

"What happened?" she shrieked. "I still can't see you!"

I relaxed and felt a slight pull in my brain die down and I eased back into view. Renesmee gasped.

"Do that again!" she said, her chocolate eyes sparkling with excitement. I felt a strange sensation ripple through my body and I held her hand this time, being gentle so that I didn't crush her. I tried focusing back to the place in my brain where I had felt the pull, straining to pull it again. But, nothing happened.

"Carlisle! Esme! Emmett! Rose! Jasper! Alice! Mum! Dad! Quick, come here! Something _amazing _just happened!" Renesmee called, bouncing up and down with excitement. They appeared out of the trees in a flash and Emmett grabbed Jasper.

"HA!" he called, his booming voice echoing through the trees. "I win!"

Nobody paid attention, for Renesmee was walking over to each person and pressing her palm to their skin. I knew she was showing them what just happened. I still marvelled at the fact that she could send me images of what she was thinking of. It reminded me of that time when I was human, but it was too dark to remember exactly what happened. All I knew was that our skin touched and an image was sent into my head.

"Incredible," Edward murmured before she had even touched him. I envied his gift of reading minds. Nobody else did – they just thought it was annoying!

"Do you think this is his gift?" tiny Alice squealed, clapping her dainty hands together.

"I think so," Renesmee responded.

"Try it again," Carlisle encouraged, leaning forward on the balls of his feet to in anticipation. Just like before, I tried and nothing happened. I grimaced, annoyed at myself.

"Don't worry, dear," Esme said kindly. "You don't have to get it right the first time."

Renesmee looked at me encouragingly. A huge burst of happiness surged through me and I smiled at her.

"Maybe . . ." Bella said, looking thoughtful. "Maybe we should try doing something that would make you _want _to hide so that you turn yourself invisible. Then, remember how you did it. It could be a gradual process and it could take you a while before you can turn invisible when you wish. When I learned my power I had to practise using it. The only way I could get it right was if Edward touched . . ." her voice trailed off and she shuddered, remembering something unpleasant.

"I know!" Emmett cried. "Re-match!"

Everyone rolled their eyes. Emmett was obsessed with re-matches for every game we ever played.

"The person I catch last gets first pick when hunting."

He turned around and began counting. We scattered, but Renesmee went with me. I enjoyed her scent. It made my throat burn, but I could handle it. Although it smelled delicious, her scent was so sweet and exotic that I did not feel a strong urge to drink her blood. I would _not _let myself attack Renesmee. However, I had not had much experience with testing my control other than that.

Emmett was lunging straight for me. He looked so lethal that I cringed, shrinking back and turned to run desperately. After I had taken a few steps, I realised that I could feel the pull in my brain. I remembered how I did it and tried again. I only made myself transparent, but not invisible. I was still incredibly joyful that I did it on cue, though, without the need to hide from anything.

"I did it!" I shouted, exultant. The rest of my family made their way back to me.

"That was amazing!" Renesmee cried and another surge of happiness rippled through me. I tried again but I could not do it.

"It seems that controlling your gift will take time and effort," Carlisle concluded, thoroughly absorbed. I looked up. All of the couples were together with their partners. A slight pang of jealousy entered my heart until I looked up. Renesmee was standing right next to me. Tentatively, we reached out and held hands. That was our first contact without her showing me anything.

I worked out why invisibility was my power. In my human life, I had always been 'invisible' to the world, an outcast . . . ignored. But, now, the Cullens had made a difference. They accepted me and treated me as an equal - especially Renesmee.

**Author's Note:**

Hey everyone! Thanks again for taking the time to read my story.

However, I would really appreciate more reviews :D !

I am open to constructive criticism and any suggestions for future chapters!

_Grace Falcon_


	15. Night

**Night (Bella's P.O.V)**

Edward and I were together. It was night and one of those times when we could sit and just . . . be. I was on the kitchen bench, swinging my legs back and forth, staring out the glass wall at the moon's luminous reflection on the water of the lake not too far away for my eyes to see. I was so pleased that Renesmee and Lester were growing very close and Lester was probably sitting by Renesmee's bed, watching her sleep peacefully. Although she didn't talk in her sleep, just touching her sent her dreams to his mind and I was sure he was totally absorbed in her colourful images. We were at our 'everybody' house. Each couple, except for Lester and Renesmee had their own homes and then we shared the one main home for our 'cover story' when Lester gained enough control to attend school.

"I liked our old school," I said and Edward stared at me like I was crazy.

"Sorry," I muttered. "It's just . . . well, it was nice. I was thinking about it."

"Bella, your mind is still confusing to this very day," Edward responded dryly.

It wasn't that late – around eight o'clock at night. I still had the whole night ahead of me. My newfound past time was playing music with Edward. Obviously I would never be as good as he was, but he was teaching me a few chords to pass time if we weren't doing anything else.

"Edward, are we going to do some more music?" I asked, jumping down from the bench so quickly that there was no time in between my movement.

"Well, maybe . . . I was hoping that we could do something else . . . I'd like to teach you something else tonight . . ." he began, smiling. Just then, I heard very light footsteps advance downstairs. Both Edward and I turned to find Lester at the foot of the steps.

"She's sleeping," he said. "She's past the dreaming stage."

"Thanks, Lester," I responded, smiling. He smiled back and I examined his almost amber eyes. His eyes still contained a shade of red, but I knew from my own experience that that would fade within a matter of weeks now. I remembered how I felt when my eyes finally turned gold. Edward put his arms around me and I sighed happily. I listened to the sounds outside. I could hear the whisper of the trees, the sound of far off cars, the individual melodies of each night creature's song, and footsteps. Footsteps?

"Do you hear that?" I whispered to Edward.

He looked at me quizzically for a second before nodding slightly. Lester was looking at us.

"I hear footsteps," I said.

Our home was very remote and secluded. It was right in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by trees at the front and then a lake at the back. The freeway was quite a while off, but I had such excellent hearing that it was easy to hear things so far away. I listened carefully and, sure enough, the footsteps were getting very gradually louder.

"Sorry, Edward," I mumbled, slipping out of his grasp.

When my newborn strength ran out, I discovered that Edward was actually stronger than me, but only just. I actually didn't mind it like that. However, Emmett was still the strongest out of all of us (except Lester, for his newborn strength had not entirely run out, but Emmett was determined to wait and claim his rightful title of 'strongest vampire in the Cullen clan'), Edward was the fastest and, surprisingly, I was the most agile.

Edward let me go and I rushed to the front door at vampire speed. I could see a figure coming closer to the house.

"What's he thinking?" I asked in a low voice so only Edward could hear.

Edward was silent for a second before responding, "He's on his _evening walk. _Of all the times . . ."

He was cut off as Lester came up behind us.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Lester . . ." Edward began, about to warn him to leave before he caught sight of the human. However, before he could say anything, the wind blew. The scent of the human hit him in a huge gust of air. Lester's back stiffened and he turned around, his eyes now almost completely black. He crouched, ready to spring.

"No! Stop!" I cried.

He leaned back and shot forward.

"LESTER!" I screamed, racing after him. Edward caught up and tackled him down. A snarl escaped his lips before he leapt up, struggling against Edward's grasp. He was shaking uncontrollably with the thirst, fighting the urge so forcefully. I inwardly sighed with relief that I had never needed to go through that stage, although it was short-lived as panic welled up inside me.

"No. . . I cant . . ." he moaned. I peered at the human and realised he was rushing up, thinking something was wrong.

"Get inside!" Edward hissed.

I didn't need any warning. Edward spun Lester around – giving him a lifeline – shoving him forward so that he was facing the other direction. Lester dashed off faster than a human could have and I hoped the human didn't notice, but I ran after him with exaggerated slowness so that Lester's speed wouldn't seem too obvious.

"I c-can't . . . I'm so sorry . . . I didn't mean to . . . to . . ." he sunk to the floor once he was inside. A wretched, horrified expression was plastered on his face.

Renesmee was at his side immediately. She placed her hand on his cheek and he sat very still for so long that I almost interrupted when he pulled away and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry," Renesmee said.

Edward and I exchanged glances and I removed my shield.

_We should gradually expose him to humans or he'll never survive, _I thought, shooting worried glances at Edward. He nodded slightly so that only I knew he was responding and we left the room.


	16. Army

**Army (Alice's P.O.V)**

It came so suddenly that I froze in place, unable to move. After I had seen the vision, I almost kicked myself in the head. Why hadn't I thought of this before? All the clues had been there, laid out for me to see . . . my eyes had passed right over them!

"Oh no!" I moaned, sinking to the floor. I felt utterly useless. I heard somebody enter the room but I didn't look up.

"Alice! Alice! What's wrong?" Jasper asked. I couldn't respond.

"Alice, I can feel the worry and self-hatred rolling off you so strongly that it's unbearable! Please, tell me what happened! Was it a vision?"

"_Yes, _it was a vision!" I cried, jumping up. If this were true, then I would need to call everybody without delay.

"_Everybody, gather at the dining room table_ _IMMEDIATELY_!" I hollered, racing there at vampire speed. Everyone was already racing to see what was wrong. Nobody usually heard such urgency in my voice unless it was an extremely important vision.

Once everybody was still and waiting for me to speak, I inhaled slowly.

"We have all been blind – especially me," I began, noticing Jasper shoot me looks of disapproval. My mood changed and I suddenly felt confident in myself – I scowled at Jasper and he grinned sheepishly. I waited for the emotion to roll off me before crying,

"Well, I _have_!"

I frowned at him when another wave hit me.

"All the clues have been laid out for us to see and we have completely missed them."

"I don't understand," Lester said, frowning.

"Lester," I said. "Do you remember when you were changed? The compelling desire to drink blood?"

"Yes," he responded, shuddering. I knew he was recalling the incident that happened last night.

"And do you remember the howl that you heard before the fire began?"

"Yes."  
The others looked at me. I had seen everything that happened while Lester had been attacked and I knew that the shape-shifters had howled before ripping through the clearing, but the vampire had already fled . . .

"Do you remember what she told you?"

"The memory is so _dark_," he responded, a strained expression on his face. "She said . . . well, the first thing she said was something to do with her saying that my scent was just too inviting to waste and that I couldn't be the last of her collection . . ."

"Stop there!" I said, knowing I had found what I was looking for. "Everybody, I told you when we returned with Lester that I had caught an scent of hers in the forest that was 2-3 days old. Think about _small towns._"

Everybody stared at me blankly, except for Edward, whose face was twisting into a mask of shock and horror.

"What have we been seeing on the news for the past two years?"

"Stories of attacks in small towns . . ." Bella gasped. Everybody cottoned on.

"Wait!"

"You don't mean . . ."

"Impossible!"

"But, it _can't_ be!"

One voice cut through the gasps of surprise.

"Then why did the attacks never become so . . . large as they could have?" Renesmee was staring at me curiously.

"The _shape-shifters _stopped them!" Edward responded.

"Then, why wouldn't they stop them now?" Esme asked.

"Okay. Think about it – this vampire has been creating newborns to attack small towns."

"Why?" Rosalie asked. "Why not attack large towns? There are more people!"

"If you want to gain power, you must obtain control over small places first before moving up – it gives you more experience." I said flippantly, flicking my hand impatiently at Rosalie's irrelevant question. "Anyway, the creator probably never got involved in the fights and, when the shape-shifters arrived, they finished off the newborns. So, she would just create more. I could never see those attacks coming, for the shape-shifters would already be involved."

"But that doesn't answer my question," Esme said, slightly perplexed. The atmosphere in the room became calmer and I shot a thankful glance in Jasper's direction.

"Carlisle set up a treaty with the shape-shifters, didn't he?"  
This event had occurred a few weeks after Lester's birth, but nobody had given it much attention . . . until now.

"Have the shape-shifters ever been really near us? Do they know our _scents_?"

Realisation crossed a few people's faces.

"If the newborns are coming to town, the shape-shifters are going to take them for _us_!"

"Why don't we go and warn them?" Emmett cried, jumping up. I shook my head sadly.

"It's too late for that, Emmett. They're coming."

"Then we must stop them!" Carlisle cried.

Emmett, still standing, crouched and sprung forward, racing off to find them. We all followed.

"Let's do this before it's too late," Jasper growled and my speed accelerated. Tension hung in the air as we ran with all our might to face the newborns. We streaked through the trees like thieves in the night, leaving no evidence - no sign that we had even passed through each place. It was as if we were ghosts of existence. We had traced a path around the town that the newborns had targeted to avoid being seen in the sun, but there was no way that we could avoid the patches of light up ahead. They seemed to stretch on forever. Lester had been running with Renesmee, so he was not up ahead like I was with Jasper. I caught a human scent and called,

"Lester! Hold your breath!"

I zipped through the only Suddenly, bit of sun that was completely unavoidable. An odd thought occurred to me - what must have that looked like for the humans nearby? I could only imagine a brilliant flash of light that came and passed in less than a second, followed by 8 other flashes . . . and then nothing. Just like a vampires existence. We are always there, yet never seen. We come and go through a place with no hint of ever being there - only when we make ourselves known does our existence show. Yet, we leave years later - only to continue existing - although those who saw us pass away. Then our existence becomes a ghost yet again.

These odd thoughts continued to swirl through my mind until, suddenly, everybody halted. The newborn's scent was just ahead.


End file.
